Oarlock



May 23, 1944. AN ER O 2,349,692

OAR LOCK Filed D96. 31, 1941 V WEIQTOR. weak/"J gdhole sow.

Patented May 23, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE OARLOCK Chester Sig Anderson, St. Charles, Ill.

Application December 31, 1941, Serial No. 425,070

1 Claim.

Among the objects of my invention is to produce an economical and durable arrangement for attaching and holding the oar lock to a boat. One of the difficulties in the present arrangement is in the method of securing the car to the car look. The common practice is to insert the car between the bifurcated arms of the car look and to insert a pin through said arms and the middle of a section of the oar. This permits the oar to be swung laterally and also to be clipped up and down in and out of the water, but results in unusual and wasteful wearing of the car in the vicinity of the pin about which the oar pivots. Under that arrangement the enlarging of the hole permits an excessive wobbling around the pin so that the oar is weakened and ultimately breaks. Where the boats are subjected to heavy usage as in cases where the boats are used commercially, the life of the oar is extremely short and constant replacement must be made. The present type also wears heavily against the gunwale of the boat, requiring frequent replacement of portions of the gunwale. I have therefore provided a type of offset oar lock which eliminates these difiiculties and protects the car and boat against such deterioration.

Another object is to provide a holder for the pin of the car look in which the pin may rotate freely and in which said pin may rock back and forth in one direction.

Further objects are to provide a construction of maximum simplicity, efficiency, economy and ease of assembly and operation, and such further objects, advantages and capabilities as will later more fully appear and are inherently possessed thereby.

The invention further resides in a construction, combination and arrangement of parts described in the accompanying drawing, and while I have shown therein a preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the same is susceptible of modification and change and comprehends other details, arrangements of parts, and features of construction without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of the oar, of the oar clamp and bracket clamp receptacle.

Figure 2 is a horizontal section on line 2-2 of Figure 4.

Figure 3 is a view partly in section and partly in elevation, taken on line 3--3 of Figure 4.

Figure 4 is a view taken on the line 44 of Figure 3.

Referring to the drawing, I represents a portion of the ordinary oar. The car clamp has the usual oar post 3 and is provided with a circumferential wall 4 designed to substantially surround the shaft of oar l. The upper portions of the wall 4 are provided with upwardly extending protrusions 5 having openings 6 disposed therein.

In practice after the oar I is mounted within the clamp 2, a bolt 1 or similar means in inserted through the opening 6. It may be secured by a nut shown in Figure 4, or threaded to one of the openings 6. When the bolt is tightened' the walls 4 hold the car firmly and positively against rubbing or other movement with respect to the car clamp or bracket.

Mounted on the gunwale of the boat is a bracket or clamp receptacle 8 which I preferably show to have elongated flanges extending in both directions from the center of the receptacle so that the stress carried from the oar and car clamp will be distributed over a considerable length of the gunwale. The receptacle is attached to the gunwale by screws or other means through the numerous openings 9 which are staggered to vary the attaching mean and thus avoid having the attaching means concentrated on a single line of the grain of the gunwale.

The receptacle 8 is provided with a housing 10 extending at right angles to the flanges and elongated at its bottom as is shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3. The upper portion of the housing I0 is provided with a small opening to receive the post 3, around which is imposed a socket H for cooperation with a rounded ball 12 at the top of the post 3. The ball 12 prevents the post 3 from sinking too far in the housing In of the receptacle and together with the clamp H provides a ball and socket arrangement for easy rotation or swinging of the car when the oar is used to propel the boat.

To provide maximum clearance between the car and the gunwale, I have provided a raised offset portion of the bracket as shown in Figures 1 and 3.

By means of the enlargement of the housing In at its lower end in a single plane, the bottom of the post while being freely rotative, is permitted the necessary play back and forth in a single plane so that the car can be easily lifted out of the water and likewise easily dipped into the water. One movement such as would be normal1y used for lifting the car out of the water is shown in dotted outline in Figure 3.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that I have provided an economical and long lasting oar lock which will use the standard oar without mutilation or excessive wear. The clamp and receptacle may be made of castings, the receptacle preferably being made in one piece. Maximum movement of the oar is provided and the inherent disadvantages of the old method of attaching oar locks with constant deterioration of the oar are eliminated.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

In an oar lock for a boat a clamping member adapted to be clamped upon the shaft of an car at any desired distance from the handle thereof and having a depending post, a bracket member to receive said post having two of its side walls guiding said post fOr oscillatory movement in a single plane and the other walls so spaced as to provide a downwardly flared opening.

CHESTER SIG ANDERSON. 

